Film File - Inglorious Basterds

During the German occupation of France, Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) - the man called the Jew hunter. She narrowly escapes capture and flees to Paris where she forges a new identity as the owner of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organises a group of Jewish American soldiers to perform swift, shocking acts of retribution against the atrocities of the Third Reich. They operate on a terror scale equal to the oppressors whereby each 'basterd' must scalp a German, sometimes leaving one survivor to spread fear amongst his fellow soldiers. Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a combined mission to kill the entire German high command - Hitler, Goebbels, Bormann and Goring - as they attend a Parisian film premiere celebrating German victory. The timeframe is early June 1944, after the Normandy landings and before the liberation of Paris. Another subplot follows Shosanna, the only Jewish survivor, determined to have her revenge on the 'Jew Hunter' Landa responsible for killing all her family. The Basterds and Shosanna remain unaware of each other throughout the film until the fateful night at the Paris premiere when both groups converge on their shared target. A film that director and writer Quentin Tarantino admits had been gestating for much of the last decade, the story takes its inspiration from the mis-spelled 1978 film by Italian Enzo Castellari. The project went through many changes over the 10 years, with Tarantino at one point considering it as a television mini-series or writing it as a novel. Lucky for us, he chose to stick with the big screen. With little regard for the actual history of WWII, Tarantino delivers a fantasy version of the war - and one where the good guys are as ruthless and merciless as those grim-faced followers of the swastika. Dividing the story into sections, each with a very different tone and atmosphere, we witness melodrama and often outright butchery (well, it is Tarantino, after all) as Pitt maintains his Deep South accent while encouraging his men to crush heads with a baseball bat and all the time demanding an increase in the numbers of scalps. After endless months of seeing him accompany his wife Angelina Jolie and their squad of children on the covers of Hello and OK, it's refreshing to see the boy who got his big break in 'Thelma & Louise' back in a meaty role once more. However, good and all as Brad surely is, the film belongs to Waltz as the urbane Jew hunter and his enjoyment of the slaughter which follows his every move - this is the best embodiment of Nazi evil since Amon Goth in 'Schindler's List'. As is usual in all Tarantino movies, the ending is a wonderful, if bloody, explosion of epic conflict and flying body parts. You have been warned. The soundtrack is excellent, another trademark of the director, and includes David Bowie's 'Putting Out the Fire', Bruno Balz's 'Davon Geht Die Welt Nicht Unter', and Ray Charles's 'What'd I Say' - each cleverly matched to the scene they accompany. This film is bloody and funny, arresting and engaging, and definitely never boring. It may upset some viewers of gentle disposition - but seems a guaranteed 'Pulp Fiction' hit for most audiences. Welcome back, Quentin.